Monday, September 17, 2012

The End of "Pick C" Meet the Next Generation Assessments

Does the label "Next Generation Assessments" bring to mind a new Star Trek movie, where educators on board the USS PARCC boldly go where no teacher has gone before? It certainly seems as if there are as many acronyms tied to the Next Generation Assessments as there are in the NASA space program...EBSRs, TECRs, PCRs....it can be overwhelming to begin to think about it all.

We ARE boldly going forward. As you begin to really look deeply at the prototype assessments in ELA and Math, you begin to see just how exciting the changes really are....and how the use of Evidence Centered Design (think Universal Design) is being used to create assessments that are authentic, engaging and really connected to what it is the kids are supposed to "know" and "do" in each grade level. Wow, think about it, a state test that measures mastery on all the standards - not having to guess at which standards might be "tested". A state test that offers students the chance to explain or justify an answer. A state test that may have more than one right answer. A state test that allows students to show how well they can apply what they learned in authentic contexts. A state test that you don't have to set aside weeks to "practice and prepare for" because it is aligned so well to the standards you are teaching - and the kinds of activities you are doing in class - that by the time the kids take the test - they should already have a pretty good idea of how they will do. Even if you are NOT an ELA or Math teacher - everyone can benefit from looking at these prototypes....because they are a good way to begin discussions on how to rethink assessments to fit into the new "growth model" focus of the new Ohio Teacher Eval System. They are good examples of why we all need to be teachers of the LANGUAGE of our content area - building vocabulary by teaching it in context, building knowledge through opportunities to read and write about challenging, authentic materials.

So let's start with speaking the language of the Next Generation Assessments

Evidence Centered Design - starting with claims (overarching statements about what students should be expected to do) assessment planners work backwards to identify

What student products will allow teachers to say with assurance that the student has mastered the content standard...what do the products look like?

What are the classroom activities necessary to get to this assessment?

What evidence can we point to, highlight or underline in a student response that we will be looking for?

Have we designed tasks to elicit specific evidence from students to support our claims?

From all of this...begin to build task models that can be used to develop items...think of these like "patterns" that can be followed.

Think about how you could use this same process, right now, to look at the assessments - both formative and summative - that you currently are using in your classroom. Use "essential questions" or "learning targets" to form your "claims"

EBSR - Evidence Based Selected Response Questions- these are replacing the old style "multiple choice" question. EBSRs will actually be a pair of questions - the first will be a standard selected response (multiple choice) question... the second will give the student a chance to indicate words or passages from the question or text they have read that helped them to answer the question. There might be multiple answers they can select, not just one. These questions will be used as a type of scaffolding for performance task items by helping students focus on important information or build knowledge.

Think about how you could begin to use EBSR questions in your classroom as a formative assessment tool - giving you insight into student thinking or as a way to help with metacognition and close reading strategies. Think about how you can begin to teach the vocabulary of your content area - in context.

TECR - Technology Enhanced Constructed Response Questions - these are called constructed response because students need to demonstrate an understanding of the content being tested beyond just selected a correct response. Technology allows students to click on key sentences in a text passage, drag answers onto a diagram or number line, run simulations to gather data, or manipulate objects to build a model.

Think about how you can use often free, online or software resources to engage students in their learning. One of the key reasons for including TECRs was to promote the continuous integration of technology into classrooms on a regular basis. There are lots of ways to work around limited tech availability...don't let limited hardware or internet bandwidth prevent you from trying new ways to integrate tech.

PCR - Prose Constructed Response Questions - items formally known as "extended response" or "essay questions" They will be used in Performance Tasks - in Math and ELA. By far the biggest shift in thinking about assessments, PCRs will expect students to not just write about a prompt, but instead to analyze, synthesize, or support an argument using authentic text material - or multiple authentic texts. The most important expectation... students must be able to go "back into" the text to pull information to support their ideas. EBSRs will help students build knowledge or focus their thinking as a prelude to the Prose Constructed Response questions.

Think about how you can give your students the opportunity to read a variety of literature and informational texts. Narrative writing experiences aren't just story telling - think about how narrative can be used as informational writing - in science, social studies and math. Review writing prompts you use in your classroom. Are they text based? Here is an example of a traditional prompt - We have been learning about Benjamin Franklin - Write about a time when you acted like an inventor. Here is how to make it text based - You have read three different articles/essays/books about Benjamin Franklin. All of the authors seemed to feel like he was a true inventor. Using evidence from at least 2 of the readings, support your argument that he is or is not a true inventor.

SAS Curriculum Pathways ( Middle School and High School) Requires a FREE district account to be created - students can access from home or school. Best tool - the Writing Reviser that allows them to write an essay - then it analyzes the essay for them - mechanics, structure, voice and gives them hints for organization and audience.

About Me

I am currently the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the Bay Village City Schools. This position allows me to be a teacher of teachers. I also serve as a bridge between the Dept of Education, the School Board and the teachers. I am the Chairman of the Ohio Education Leader Cadre, a member of the Ohio Senate Advisory Committee on Testing, the State Lead for Ohio Core Advocates, and a Teacher Champion with the Collaborative for Teacher Success. My past experience includes working as a Technology Integration Specialist, a 7-12 Science and Language Arts Instructor and a Varsity Swim Coach. My professional interests include formative assessment, differentiating instruction and developing interdisciplinary units. I enjoy creating and presenting professional development sessions.
When I am not teaching, I design jewelry. I also work with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's archaeology field program during the summer. I enjoy spending time with my family on the beaches of Lake Erie and South Carolina.
Follow me on twitter @edtechgirl